New Way to Bleed
by EvieLyn
Summary: Katherine is tired of running from Klaus and has found a way to kill him via vampire Queen Sophie-Anne. Emi Scott, Elena's half-sister, is just trying to get through her final year of high school. After some digging, Katherine finds that there is more to Emi than meets the eye, including a thing for Damon and buried secrets of Emi's heritage that Katherine uses to her advantage.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **This is my first crossover fic, so please forgive me if it sucks. I normally don't write original characters, either. This idea came from a dream that I had of some of The Vampire Diaries characters and upon further thinking, I came up with an idea to include in the story to add in the True Blood gang. The idea has evolved immensely over time. This story is not beta'd as of yet, so any mistakes are my own. Please forgive me, and let me know if you find any. If you'd like to beta the story, please let me know.

This story will mainly center around the The Vampire Diaries characters with a couple of the True Blood ones mixed in. It will follow more of the TVD story lines. The TB parts will be completely AU and different from anything on the show. The story starts a little after 3x22 of TVD, but with some major differences. Alaric never got overtaken by The Darkness and remains alive and human. Elena is a vampire and was turned by Damon's blood, but the sire bond is never in play here. Elena is still with Stefan and remains with him. I'm normally not a fan of Stelena, but for this story I made an exception because the main, original character has a thing for Damon.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Vampire Diaries or True Blood, nor any of the characters in either series. Both series belong to their respective creators. I just like using the characters in my own ideas.

* * *

**Prologue**

**Shreveport, Louisiana**

**April 3, 2011**

Betrayal. Manipulation. Survival. Kill or be killed was her motto. If she had her way, and she always did, she wouldn't be killed. That was her way of living for the last 500 years. But she was tired of running and wanted to live a somewhat normal life. Well, as normal a life as an undead person could live.

Her dark brown curls swayed along with her sexy swagger. Her doe eyes surveyed the packed parking lot of the bar with its mixed human-vampire population both inside and out. She could smell the sex, blood, and alcohol from a mile away. She wondered in her many years how she'd never come across or heard of this place before. Her eyes came across the bright red, neon sign out front that spelled out "Fangtasia." _Well, someone had the right idea._

Standing behind a couple of human-vampire couples waiting to get into the place, she noticed the gorgeous blonde in her all-black, tight leather attire and six-inch heels checking IDs. She could tell with only a glance that she was a vampire, and an older one at that. Maybe not as half as old as she, but the vampire wasn't a baby that was for sure. Watching her interact with the clientele, she noticed the vampire's cold demeanor. Under many different circumstances, she could see herself getting along with this one.

When it was her turn in line, the woman surveyed her from head-to-toe and a hint of a smile formed on the woman's face. She formed a smirk of her own acknowledging the vampire.

"It's nice to see a vamp with a sense of style for a change," the woman drawled.

"Likewise," she replied, noting the diamond necklace with the name in gold sitting on her chest that read "Pam."

"I don't believe I've seen you 'round here before. In fact, I know I haven't. What can I do for you tonight?" Pam asked even more intrigued.

"I'm here to see Eric."

"Aren't they all?" Pam rolled her eyes at the request.

"I have a proposition for him. I need his help. Queen Sophie-Ann suggested that I pay him a visit."

"Hmm. Well, follow me. I'll personally take you to his office. Hey, Ginger?" Pam called the human worker.

"Yes?" Ginger asked.

"Take over for me for a few."

Pam led her through bodies on the dance floor and down a small hallway toward the back of the bar. It was a lot quieter back there, but the sound of music still flooded through the walls. They came to a closed door and Pam entered without so much as a knock.

"Eric, someone here to see you," Pam said to her maker, leaning on the office door.

She had heard many things about Eric Northman over the years, but had never seen or met him. He was known as a ruthless, nasty vampire, which was probably how he had become a sheriff. He could put some of the older vampires she knew to shame. She watched as the blonde-haired man looked up at them from his desk.

"Pam, you may leave us. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Eric asked, leaning back in his chair looking over the brunette vampire in front of him.

Pam exited back through the door, closing it behind her. She sat in the chair across from the blue-eyed sheriff. She put her game-face on. She didn't care who he was or what she had heard; she wouldn't be intimidated.

"I need you to do something for me. Something I don't think you can refuse," she offered.

Eric all but laughed and sat back up in his chair watching her closely.

"And just who are you and what do you "need" from me?" he asked curiously.

"My name is Katherine, Katherine Pierce, and I need you to kill someone for me."


	2. Chapter 1: Back to December

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Vampire Diaries or True Blood, nor any of the characters in either series. Both series belong to their respective creators. I just like using the characters in my own ideas.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Mystic Falls, Virginia**

It was almost dark as the day was nearing its descent into darkness, and Emilia Scott knew she should be getting home soon. Ric would kill her if she showed up after curfew. He was a cool guy, and he let her get away with a lot of things that most parents wouldn't, but she knew how much he disliked her testing the limits of the few rules that he set. Ric wasn't technically her dad, but he was the closest thing to one she had ever had.

Emi fiddled with her pencil thinking about her mother. She missed her mom more than words could say. There were just some things that she couldn't talk about with Ric and wished she could share with her mom. Emi and her mom, Charlotte, were pretty close, even with Charlotte working twelve-hour shifts in the ER during the day for the twelve years they had each other.

Charlotte was all Emi had had when she was little; her dad, John Gilbert, wanted no part of her life. Charlotte had died at the young age of twenty-eight from a heart condition, leaving Emi an orphan six years ago. As Emi was told, Isobel Saltzman owed her dad a favor, and Isobel offered to take care of his daughter for him. A few months later, John still wanted nothing to do with Emi and was too busy with his own life to do so. At the request of Isobel's husband, Alaric, the couple became legal guardians of Emi after Emi and Ric had hit it off really well.

Emi had only had Isobel as a mother figure for a brief time, and she was married to her work for most of it. Isobel had disappeared four years ago by faking her death to become a vampire, and she no longer cared for anything from her past life, including the two of them. They rarely talked about her anymore since she had come into town last year, leaving a day or so later without so much as a goodbye. The next time they saw Isobel had been a few months ago, and Elena had told them both that Isobel had been compelled by Klaus to kill herself. John had died shortly after to save Elena from death after being sacrificed by Klaus.

After Elena and Jeremy lost their aunt Jenna, Ric and Emi had moved into the Gilbert house. Emi and the two Gilbert siblings became closer, as they were the only real family they had left; Elena being Emi's half-sister and Jeremy her cousin. Ric loved and treated all three as if they were his own.

Lately, the supernatural drama had been down to a minimum. It was almost too quiet after all the shenanigans with Klaus, his hybrids, and the other Originals roaming through town. Klaus was still around lurking in his huge mansion. Because Elena was no longer human and Tyler was no longer sired to him, Klaus had no reason to threaten any of their lives anymore; at least not at the moment. He had Rebekah to thank for part of that. He still posed a possible threat just being who he was, though, so everyone still hadn't become comfortable in their daily lives just yet.

Emi came out of her daze and looked up from her English textbook and homework sitting on her lap, thinking she had heard something. She looked around the already mostly abandoned school grounds from her perch underneath one of the trees. She liked to stay behind by herself and have some alone time to do homework or write. Having Ric as a teacher and as your guardian along with two other people living at home meant having very little alone time and Emi loved her personal space. Not that she didn't love being around any of them because she wouldn't trade her life now for the world. She saw nothing around and pulled her mid-length, pencil straight medium brown hair into a messy ponytail. Emi shifted in her position against the tree and went back to her homework, trying to finish it before going home.

A breeze had started to blow, and she pulled her knees closer to herself. It was almost March, and spring was right around the corner, but it was still mostly cold and windy. School was winding down faster than Emi could blink. As a senior, she knew once she graduated things would be changing for her again. Emi had just gotten used to how things were now and soon she'd be starting back at square one; being in a new place by herself. She would most likely go to college somewhere away from everyone she now had in her trusted circle. She began to play with her necklace out of habit.

A part of her wanted to rewind the past year and relive it again, without all of the supernatural baggage, of course. She knew that was impossible and knew she needed to start enjoying the last few months of high school that she had left. There was still the masquerade ball, prom, parties, finals, graduation, and much more. Emi planned to enjoy each and every one of them.

While lost in her notes, a dark-haired man appeared out of nowhere. He grabbed her and pinned her against the tree before she knew what was happening, her books falling to the ground. Veins darted out from underneath the man's reddening eyes, razor sharp fangs descended from his gums, and in mere seconds she felt his fangs press lightly against the skin on her neck. Even without clearly being able or having time to see his face, she knew by his scent exactly who it was.

"Yeah, as kinky as this is, Damon, you didn't scare me," she said unaffected by his display of vampirism. "But there is bark digging into my back."

His face turned back to its normal human one with his fangs disappearing as well, and he released the hold that he had on her, accepting defeat. He backed away from her some, releasing her from against the tree.

"You really weren't scared, Emi? Not even a little?" Damon asked while watching her.

She shook her head. "Nope, sorry."

"Man, I'm losing my touch and becoming Stefan with no threats in this town as of late," Damon said watching the 18-year-old girl in front of him. "Not that I'm complaining about having a bit of normalcy."

"Nah, you're still scary, Damon. You just don't scare me; you never have. Plus, I've been trained to be unafraid of and kill vampires since I was fifteen. You better be glad I don't have a stake with me."

"Oh ha ha. Very funny, Rayne. You wouldn't have been able to stake me. I'm too pretty. Have you seen this face? It's flawless," Damon gloated.

"Yeah, pretty annoying. What are you doing here, anyway? Doesn't a vamp of your caliber have better things to do than bother me?" Emi kneeled down on the ground and began putting her books away in her bag. She randomly tossed her ponytail behind her back.

Damon leaned against the tree watching her. "Well, Ric has papers to grade and Elena is off with Stefan doing…I don't really care what. You're the only other person that likes me," Damon replied.

"I tolerate you; I don't know if I'd go so far as like," Emi said jokingly, grabbing her bag and purse while standing up. She wiped off her black skinny jeans. "Did the bar close early?"

"Oh, that really hurts," Damon said, grabbing at his heart in a joking manner then shaking it off. "You and Ric always act as if you don't like me, but you both suck at acting. Plus, if you didn't like me, you wouldn't hang around me so much. And no, it didn't, but I went to the Grill earlier; nothing new there."

She rolled her eyes and walked off leaving him against the tree, knowing he would follow her. He caught up to her a few seconds later using his vamp speed and began walking beside her at a human pace.

"Damon, what are you doing?" She looked at him.

"What, can't a guy walk a girl home? It's almost dark, and there are scary things out at night that might hurt you."

"You mean things that are scarier than you? I doubt it."

He rolled his eyes, shrugging at her usual playfulness. They continued to walk in silence for a few minutes.

"You know what you should get?" Emi said out of the blue.

"Yes?" He looked down at the sidewalk.

"A dog; I hear they make great companions. I wouldn't know personally, I've never had one."

"Eh, Stefan would just eat it. Plus, it would just shit and pee on my expensive, antique carpets. And it couldn't be one of those small, yappy dogs or I would kill it myself. No, thank you."

She snorted and shook her head. "We can't have that. Now I see why you compelled yourself a fake girlfriend then—boredom."

"Exactly, and the track record with my acts of boredom never have a good ending, even if they are fun at the time. They always come back to bite me in the ass."

"Stefan said you compelled Andy to be your girlfriend to distract yourself from wanting Elena," she said not really thinking.

"Oh, Saint Stefan, always the one to act as if nothing he does is ever wrong. I don't see anyone getting on his case for ripping up half the east coast when he went on his little ripper-trip with Klaus, or for threatening to turn Elena and run her off Wickery Bridge to best Klaus."

"Damon…" Emi chastised him.

"Okay, fine. You've been hanging around Elena and her friends too much; their judge-y-ness is starting to rub off on you."

"Well, Damon, I know neither one of you are a saint. Bonnie and Caroline have their reasons for disliking you, and I get them, but they've done things that can be questionable, too. None of us are innocent. And if you wanted to get technical, I could dislike you for making me your little minion after moving on from Caroline when you first got to town. But like Ric and Elena, I see the real you. You could have killed me, but you didn't. I know you do care in your own twisted way. You've risked your life tons of times to save mine, and I'm grateful. And I'm not being judge-y; just pointing out that that's the pot calling the kettle black in regards to you and Stefan."

"Hey, you liked being my "minion" as you call it, if I remember. You liked being bitten and had the best sex of your life. What's not to like? You took it a whole lot better than Blondie ever did."

"Well, you were never gonna kill me," Emi reasoned.

"Blondie was annoying, stubborn, and wouldn't shut up. Plus, by the time I corrupted you, my humanity was back on. I only really wanted to use you to help me get Katherine back because I knew you had a brain. The sex was just an extremely rewarding bonus. You were never really scared of me, either. Once I got to know you, you kind of reminded me of a female version of myself, and you weren't the worst company in the world, much like your sister. Loner, orphan, neat freak, trust issues, and if you were old enough you'd probably be an alcoholic, too; I could go on. I don't get along with anyone else except Elena. Maybe Ric, when I don't kill him."

"Well, thanks to you and Elena, I now have a life outside of my computer and Ric. I've come out of my shell and made a few friends. If it weren't for you figuring out John was Elena's biological dad, we would have never known we were sisters. Caroline tends to think I'm stupid for trusting you all the time and I think Bonnie thinks we do the dirty a lot because we're always hanging out together."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Blondie's just jealous of you. Tyler wanted to go out with you before they started dating, and Matt asked you to Homecoming. If Klaus had hit on you, she would probably never speak to you again. Witchy is very keen that way, but she's a year off. Not that I wouldn't do it all over again." He smirked at his friend.

"I would never do that to a friend. Plus, Tyler can be a tool, and Matt is too nice for me. Stefan can be cool when he wants to be. Is there no guy in this town that my friends and sister haven't dated other than you?" She looked at him pausing a minute. "No one knows about us, Damon. I've never told anyone about that, not even Ric. He would kill you."

"Stefan's so hell bent on getting me away from Elena lately. That still doesn't change my feelings for her, though." He looked at her after her last comment. "You didn't have to do that," he said, pausing.

"Stefan thinks you're going to steal her away, but if you ask me, if you really wanted to do that you would have done it already," she said trying to avoid the other part of the conversation. "And I'm not trying to tell you how to feel or anything, but she did choose him, Damon."

She noticed the look on his face at her comment and decided to leave it alone. They had reached the Gilbert house and stopped outside on the porch. Emi began digging into her purse for her keys to busy herself. She opened the door and stopped just inside the door, leaning on the frame and turning to face Damon. She fiddled with her necklace that she rarely took off.

"You coming in?" she asked.

"Nah, I figured I'd go back to the house and find something else to entertain me. It is a school night," he said, rolling his eyes.

She nodded, shaking her head. "Thanks for walking me home. See you tomorrow?"

"I'm sure you will at some point." He paused. "Emi, don't act like you didn't hear what I said."

"I'm not trying to avoid it, Damon," Emi said, lowering her voice. "I don't want anyone to know because that will just give them more reason to think badly of you."

Damon looked at her without replying for a few minutes taking in what she said. She noticed his blue eyes staring surprisingly into her own blue ones. She almost caught herself getting lost in them, but made herself look away.

"Just forget about it. See you tomorrow, Damon. Thanks again."

Emi all but shut the door in his face leaving him standing on the porch, not wanting to talk about their past relationship anymore. She hadn't meant to bring it up in the first place. It only reminded Emi that Damon still had feelings for her sister, even after Elena had chosen Stefan again, while she had only ever been his "special friend," at most. Emi knew Damon's "special friends" never stayed around for long; she was really the only exception. She kept thinking about the look he gave her after telling him she had never told anyone about them. She heard movement in the kitchen and ran upstairs to her room before someone saw her.

Once in her room, Emi closed the door leaning back on it a minute. She now stayed in Jenna's old room and it had been redone to her liking. She tossed her bag on the desk and lay across the bed. It's not that Emi didn't like talking about her time "with" Damon. She liked knowing it was their own little secret, and it always brought up the feelings she so desperately tried to suppress around him. Emi wasn't sure if Damon realized what she felt for him. If he did, he'd never brought it up.

Damon had never compelled her to forget the time she was "with" him when they were looking for Katherine. He never compelled her to never tell anyone, either. She always expected him to, but he never did. She was surprised that he had grown to trust her as well as he did because Damon barely trusted anyone, especially when he had first come to town. Emi knew if anyone did ever find out about them, they would only blame Damon as they had when he had used and abused Caroline.

Emi walked over to her closet and kicked her combat black boots off her feet. She removed her hoodie and sweater, hanging them up neatly. She walked over to her bed and plopped on to it, removing her socks. Once more comfortable on her bed, Emi thought about when she had first met Damon.

* * *

_**A Year and a Half Earlier **_

_Emi sat down on one of the unoccupied, dry wooden benches away from the crowd by the falls and buttoned her coat to try to block out some of the cold December air. It was almost Christmas break, and the party was a tradition that Tyler Lockwood had started two years ago. She didn't know why on earth she had come to this stupid party. This definitely wasn't her scene. She didn't really do crowds or parties at all. Hell, she usually wasn't even invited and that was okay with her. She had only been in this town a year and a half now, and she didn't really have any friends. She wasn't the friend-making type, typically. She never liked getting close to anyone, Ric being the exception, because she found that no one ever seemed to stay in her life. _

_It was junior year, and Emi was no longer the "new kid" at Mystic Falls High. That title was replaced by this guy named, Stefan. He had talked to her on occasion, which was new for her. While Emi didn't consider herself ugly by any means, guys were usually put off by her loner, mysterious, shy persona. Stefan was different. He admitted that he was kind of a loner himself, but he was trying to change that. He didn't pressure her, but he suggested she try new things, too. Emi had told him she didn't like being this way; it was just all she knew. _

_Stefan was the only reason she was even here. He and his girlfriend, Elena, who Emi had had several classes with, had encouraged her to come to the party tonight to hang with them and their friends. She had come with Ric's encouragement; he knew Elena was a good kid. Now that she couldn't even find the couple, she was wondering why she had even bothered to come. It was cold and wet from rain earlier in the day, and everyone else seemed to be having a good time._

_She turned around sideways on the bench and pulled her knees up to herself. She drained the rest of the contents of the red solo cup that she had grabbed before coming over and tossed it on the ground. She would just go home, but she would have to call Ric to come get her; Stefan and Elena were supposed to give her a ride home. She didn't want Ric to know she couldn't last longer than an hour. Emi hated failing at anything. _

_After a few minutes of listening to the sounds from the party a few yards away and looking at the stars, Emi dug her phone out of her jean pocket. She knew she wouldn't have any messages or calls since she had told Ric she would call him if she needed him, but opened it up, anyway. Of course, there was no signal way out here. Go figure._ _She got up off the bench and tried to find a signal, holding the phone up in different places._

_Not watching her step or how far she was getting from the party where all the lights were, Emi didn't notice the sounds from the party dying in the distance. Hitting a rock-hard surface head-on brought her attention back to where she was going. She looked up and saw the most beautiful guy she had ever seen dressed in all black, his icy blue eyes shining in the darkness. _

"_Trying to find a signal, too? Reception sucks out here," he said, holding his phone in his hand. _

"_I'm so sorry; I wasn't watching where I was going," Emi said. "Yeah, I was. Oh well." She put her phone back in her pocket, giving up. _

"_You know, I don't remember seeing you around town before. Are you new here?" the guy asked. _

"_Um, well, sort of. I've only lived here a year and a half. I don't usually come to these things." She motioned toward the party behind her. "I'm Emi Scott." _

"_Emi, huh? That's a very pretty name for a very pretty girl. I'm Damon Salvatore, by the way," he said, winking and putting his own phone away. _

_She blushed at his comment and smiled. "Thanks. It's short for Emilia; it's a family name. Are you by any chance related to Stefan?" she asked. _

"_Why yes, he's my baby brother. I came to try to find him, but haven't seen him," Damon answered. _

"_Oh, I guess they're running late then. He and Elena sort of invited me to come, but I haven't seen them, either." _

"_Hmm. Who knows with those two?" He shrugged. _

_Emi nodded not knowing what else to say. "I should probably get back to the party. See if I can find them." She turned her head toward the party for a minute, biting her lip a bit. She looked back toward Damon, but he was no longer there. Emi started to turn back toward the party when she saw she was abruptly falling forward onto a pile of rocks. She then felt a sharp pain in her head and everything went black. _

_Emi opened her eyes slowly and noticed she was in a dark place, but she couldn't tell where. Whatever she was laying on was very soft, but her head was killing her. She turned over and realized she was on someone's bed. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a dim light on in a bathroom that was connected to the room that she was in. She sat up slowly rubbing her hand over her face and felt a bandage on her forehead. Well, that explained the sharp pain and throbbing she felt. Emi felt something missing and felt around for her necklace in a panic. She looked around the room and saw a silhouette of someone in one of the corners. She swallowed and closed her eyes, thinking it was just a bad dream. _

"_I'm really here, just so you know," the voice rang out as if reading her thoughts. _

"_Damon?" she asked, recognizing his voice immediately. _

"_In the flesh; well, in a matter of speaking," Damon answered and stood up making his way over to the bed where she sat. _

_She watched him and swallowed. "What happened? Where's my necklace?" _

"_You hit your head on a huge rock. That wasn't exactly the plan, but it knocked you out long enough to get you here." He sat down on the edge of the bed beside her. "I'll return it soon enough. Why does a necklace of a stake mean so much to you?" _

"_It was my mom's; it's a family heirloom. Where's here?" she asked him curiously. _

"_We're at the Salvatore Boarding House, or more precisely, my room. I felt bad for making you fall, and you have a nasty cut on your head. Your blood is amazing, by the way. Some got on my hand while I was playing doctor." _

_She paused a minute, trying to make sure she had heard him right and looked in his direction. "My blood?" _

_He looked directly into her eyes after detecting that her heart rate had risen a bit and sensing her apprehension. "I'm not going to hurt you. Just listen to what I have to say." He looked away from her for a minute, breaking the compulsion. "I guess I should get it out in the open right away; no need to hide it if I'm going to get you to help me," he said not beating around the bush. _

"_Hide what?" she asked, surprisingly calm. She must have really hit her head. _

"_See for yourself." He looked back at her. _

"_Um, I can't see anything," she said, looking around and then back at him. _

_A light by the bed light flipped on suddenly, and she saw him sitting there in the same spot. She saw her necklace in his hand. She noticed he was the same, but something was different. His eyes had become extremely bloodshot, and the veins were very pronounced underneath his eyes to the tops of his cheeks. She knew part of her should be scared, but she wasn't, surprisingly. If he wanted to hurt her, he wouldn't have apologized for making her hit her head, and he wouldn't have brought her to his room to dress the wound. _

"_What are you?" she asked hesitantly. _

_He remained sitting where he was and he sensed her curiosity, but noticed that she didn't seem scared. That was different. Most people saw his monstrous side and ran away screaming, or at least attempted it. "What do you think I am?" _

_He watched her intently as she bravely moved closer to him slowly, even more curious than before. He had been right in his previous assumption that she liked studying things. That was his hope. Normally, he wouldn't let anyone get this close to him and let them live, but there was something about her that intrigued him. Sure, he did need her for his diabolical plan, but there was something else. _

_Emi was beautiful in her own right, and he could tell she hid it, but she definitely wasn't Katherine. Her baby blue eyes contrasted to those dark ones that Katherine possessed, and her hair was a much straighter, lighter hue of brown. She wasn't taller than he, but she wasn't much shorter. She was definitely toned and probably in very good shape from the looks of it. Her soft skin was somewhat fair with some freckles in places, but it was darker than his natural skin tone had been as a human. _

_Emi stopped on the bed right in front of him, but still a safe distance away. She reached her hand over toward his face and touched the protruding veins ever so lightly. His skin was surprisingly very soft, but cold. She could feel the blood pulsing underneath her fingers beneath the surface of his skin in the veins below his eyes, and found that she still wasn't afraid of him. She looked over his face when he didn't object and saw a smirk form on his lips. She then noticed the two elongated front teeth in his parted mouth. _

_She looked at him. "Why are you showing me this and not killing me?" _

"_Who says I won't?" he retorted, testing her. This was reminding Damon of when Katherine had shown her secret to him all those years ago. He hadn't been afraid of her secret, either._

_She swallowed. "You would've done it already," she said, moving her finger further down his face closer to his mouth toward his fangs and let her finger run over them slowly._

_She was fascinated by this man. Even with the vampire features and the ability to kill her before blinking, she still saw him as a man and not a monster. His short and messy raven hair framed his face perfectly, and his ivory skin was a stark contrast. His eyes were as blue as the clear ocean water in the Caribbean, and she had never seen eyes this color blue before. She knew he didn't need to compel anyone to do anything; he could just look at them and they'd do whatever he wanted—if they were smart, anyway. _

"_So sure and trusting of me, aren't you? Not your smartest move," he admitted, watching her. _

_She noted that his voice could make any woman drop her panties for him and it probably had many times. She looked at him. "Who says I'm smart?" she asked curiously. _

"_I've been watching you the past few days. You have all A's and seem to always have your nose stuck in a book. You like learning. It seems the only person you associate with is that teacher, which means almost no one to notice that you're gone and easier to have no one miss you. It was easy using your phone to tell him that you were staying over at Elena's for the night, and you were oh so excited."_

"_You must have nothing fun to do all day. Can you even go out during the day?" she retorted._

_He laughed. "Of course, I can. I'm special." He liked her and her bluntness._

"_So, if you're a vampire…does that mean that Stefan is, too? And he must be "special" as you say, too, if he walks out in the daytime," she deduced. _

"_Very good, Emi, and yes, he's a vampire, too. He's special in his own right and thinks he's better than every other vampire because he eats only animal blood. The rest of us prefer the more superior, human brand," he replied, smirking. _

"_So, why are you telling me all of this, Damon? If you did your homework like you say, then you know I could kill you," Emi stated confidently. _

_She knew she had to tread lightly, but she wasn't one to sugarcoat anything. She had known about the existence of vampires for a couple of years now, and had trained with Ric to defend herself against them, but she hadn't actually ever seen one this close and in person before. Ric had told her all about them after one had turned Isobel. _

_He looked at her smugly without flinching. "Well, if you tried, you'd be very _stupid,_ and I don't believe that's you. I know what you and that teacher do as extracurricular activities. You think I wouldn't know about a vampire hunter and his little sidekick living in my town?" _

_She looked at him. "Is that why you kidnapped me?" she asked. _

"_Well now, I hardly think I kidnapped you, Emi. I only brought you back here to heal your wound and to ask you for your help. Kidnapping you would just be rude." _

"_What do you need my help for? I'm just a human," Emi said, watching him still._

"_Well see, there's this girl that's been sort of stuck in this tomb for 145 years. Her name is Katherine. I need you to help me figure out how to get her out." _

"_What if I don't want to help you?" she asked. _

"_Well, I can't compel you to agree since you're obviously on vervain, and I'm not going to kill you if you say no, even though I probably should. Just know that I can make your life a lot…better, should I say, if you do agree," he teased and wiggled his eyebrows a little. "But if you don't, I could always make life a lot worse for your guardian." _

"_Better how?" she asked. _

_He moved closer to her so they were nearly touching, placing one hand between her legs to spread them. He watched her as she stared at his every move and swallowed. He pushed the envelope even further by moving so that he was now sitting on his knees in between her open legs. _

_He leaned forward over her, so that his chest was flush against her own. He kissed her softly on the lips, and moved his face down her neck, taking in her scent around her pulse point. She then felt his hot breath in her ear and his knee move against her groin. She bit her lip until it was white to try to keep from moaning from his closeness. _

"_I can sense your heart rate rising by the second, your breathing is becoming faster, and I can already smell your arousal. You want me, and I'm pretty sure I'm right when I say that you don't get a lot of male attention. I wasn't lying to you when I said you were very pretty. I can give you that attention. You can be my…distraction. I can't give you love, but I can give you whatever else it is you want. I'm very skilled at pleasuring women," He whispered seductively and brushed his lips over her earlobe ever so lightly. He sat back in front of her as if nothing had just happened. "Do we have a deal?"_

_She swallowed and felt that her throat was as dry as a desert. She could smell his amazing scent still lingering on her and ran her tongue over her lips, still tasting him. She wanted more. He was right, she did want him. She wanted him to do things to her that would drive her insane. Was this smart of her? Probably not, but Emi didn't really care. "What do you need me to do?" She asked as agreeable as possible. _

* * *

It was true that Damon had come to her, and he tried to compel her, but only for her to listen to his offer. He never compelled her after that because he knew he wouldn't have to. He certainly didn't compel Emi's feelings for him; those came to her naturally. She had been instantly attracted to him because of his looks, but she was able to see past that after getting to know him while working with him. Much like Elena, she got him very easily and was able to see past his walls. Emi knew Damon would probably never feel anything for her romantically, but at the time she was fine with helping him and being his distraction.

One reason she had never told anyone was because she knew how everyone would see it; they'd see it as him taking advantage of and using her. She was known to be quiet and shy at the time, but she knew what she was doing. She willingly let him do what he wanted to her, including biting and feeding on her, because she craved attention from someone and he gave it to her. She didn't care how that might seem, but before Damon, Emi had been lonely for most of her life. She always felt something was missing, especially after her mom's death. Damon had made her forget that, and he helped to make her a more confident and strong person.

Emi thought about their first time together. Damon hadn't known that she was a virgin at the time, but he wasn't put off by it when he found out. She didn't expect Damon to be gentle with her at all, he didn't seem the type. Once he had realized she was a virgin, he actually made sure the experience was enjoyable for her. Of course, she would never tell anyone about that. That was their little secret.


	3. Chapter 2: I'm Not Okay, I Promise

**Author's Note: **First off, thank you guys so much for the follows and favorites. Also, thanks to TheElegantFaerie for the review. I'm very appreciative for all!

This chapter definitely took on a mind of its own at first, as I didn't see it going in the direction that it did. It came out and I liked it, so I kept it. I guess you can kinda classify this as a filler chapter, but it does move the plot along some. It also delves deeper into Emi. Also, there is some lemony goodness that I didn't plan on. I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter.

I am currently creating a soundtrack for this fic, but I'm not sure when it will be finished. I will post it when it is, of course. I also have an album with pictures that go along with this story that I will update with each chapter. So far, there's only two pictures in it. One is Emi's necklace that is mentioned in the first chapter that she always wears and a picture of Emi's bedroom. The link is on my profile because it won't let me put it in here.

This story is not beta'd as of yet, so any mistakes are my own. Please forgive me, and let me know if you find any. If you'd like to beta the story, please let me know.

Reviews are always appreciated! Enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Vampire Diaries or True Blood, nor any of the characters in either series. Both series belong to their respective creators. I just like using the characters in my own ideas.

* * *

**Chapter 2 – I'm Not Okay, I Promise**

**Katerine's POV**

It was mid-afternoon when she had arrived at the same bed and breakfast that she always stayed in the small town. Katherine would never even think of setting foot a hundred miles out from this town under normal circumstances with Klaus still there, but she didn't have a choice. She knew from years of experience that if she was going to get this Northman guy to even agree to help her, she had to do some digging and give herself enough leverage against him, so he couldn't refuse.

Over the years, she'd had many contacts or associates in the vampire world, and they all usually came in handy when she needed them. She had been in New Orleans when she had overheard someone talking about Queen Sophie-Anne, who Katherine remembered from years before. Learning this bit of information, she paid the vampire queen a visit to inquire if Sophie-Anne had any insight for Katherine on how to get rid of Klaus.

Katherine knew that things were different in Louisiana in the vampire world. Vampires could roam freely, openly engage in vampire-human relationships, and even openly own businesses. She had also heard before that a lot of the older vampires disliked the Original family for taking credit for becoming the first vampires. Katherine wasn't one to argue with older vamps, but she didn't really care who was here on this earth first. Whether the Original family was indeed the first vampires or not they were still a force to be reckoned with. Katherine wasn't taking any chances to screw this up.

After her meeting with Sophie-Anne one afternoon, Katherine was then referred to the Sheriff of Area Five, named Eric Northman. She had heard a couple of things over the years about Eric, and Sophie-Anne caught her up even more. Eric was a few years older than Klaus and was probably even more ruthless. He was notorious for disliking humans, despite owning a vampire bar that served them. She was told that he had originally been a Viking before being turned, and he had fought in many wars after that alongside his maker. Eric and Godric had taken many lives, fucked whomever they wanted, and drank blood from any and every one they could get their hands on.

Prepping to meet with Eric hadn't been easy so far. There was very little information about Eric that she had learned that she didn't already know, and what new information she did find wasn't very useful. Eric's maker, Godric, was even harder to find information on since he was well over 2,000 years old. Katherine had also learned that Godric had killed himself several months ago after regretting all his merciless acts as a vampire.

Now that she had been in touch with various contacts, Katherine was just about up to speed and ready to present her plan to the sheriff. She had a few more things that needed to be taken care of first. She needed to do some digging on a human that was somehow connected to her and her much younger, boring doppelganger, Elena. Everything always seemed to come back to Mystic Falls and her past. Once Katherine was done with this hole-in-the-wall town, she didn't plan on coming back anytime soon. At least not until after Klaus had been destroyed, and if she had her way, that would be very soon.

* * *

**Emi's POV**

Emi could feel the beads of sweat starting to pour down her skin from her morning run despite the chill in the air. Her muscles and joints were burning, and she loved the feeling of exerting herself as a way to wake up in the morning. She always pushed herself in her workouts; sometimes maybe a little too much. As usual, her earphones were plugged into her ears, her favorite rock music playing to help pump her up.

She rounded the corner of the street to head back home. Quickly glancing at her watch to check the time, she realized it was later than when she usually finished her run. It was 6:05 a.m. Emi was never one to be late for anything, especially not school. She began running faster down the sidewalk, slowing her pace once reaching the front walk of the house. She needed to shower and get ready for school.

She jogged up the steps of the porch, stopping to stretch herself out again before going inside for her protein shake. She cut her stretching time short to make up for lost time and made her way inside. She heard someone upstairs fumbling around, knowing it was either Elena or Ric; Jeremy was never up before 6:30 a.m. unless he had to work.

While shutting the front door, the most amazing smell wafted up into her nose. She made her way into the kitchen and saw a huge spread of waffles, bacon, eggs, grits, and sausage sitting on the counter with some still cooking on the stove. She blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Emi and Ric did most of the cooking, while the rest of the time they made do with what was in the fridge or ate take out. The four had since agreed that everyone was on their own for breakfast should they want any. She knew it couldn't have been Ric that cooked all this. Ric never had been a morning person, and some mornings it was miraculous he could even get out of bed from being hung-over.

She began mixing her protein shake and looked around for signs of anyone. She started to sneak a piece of bacon that was sitting on a plate while waiting until she felt a light, but chastising slap on her hand. Emi looked up, spotting Damon in his usual all-black attire in front of the stove wearing an apron with "Kiss the Cook" printed on the front. Part of her wanted to laugh at the sight, and the other part of her wanted to do as the apron suggested. Thankfully, she did what she did best it seemed – hiding her emotions and wearing a blank expression. This was something she had always been good at, but over time, and with further help in training, she had since mastered it.

"No ma'am. Not until you've showered and finished getting ready," Damon scolded without moving his attention from the stove.

"Yes, mother," Emi replied in a mocking tone.

"If I were your mother, you'd have much better manners, especially in respecting your elders," he replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you prefer grandmother?"

Damon stopped what he was doing and turned around, giving her a very unamused look.

Emi tried to keep a snicker at bay and looked down at the counter, deciding to change the subject. "Where were you ten seconds ago?"

"Making sure Ric was still alive; he is, by the way," he replied.

"How did you even know I was trying to sneak a piece of bacon? What, are you psychic now, too?"

"Vampire, remember? I know everything." He winked at her and turned back around facing the stove.

Emi rolled her eyes at his last comment and grabbed her shake. She drank some, hopping up on the counter to finish it, and watched his handiwork. "What are you even doing here, anyway? I thought you had vampire business to take care of?"

"I did. It didn't take as long as I thought it would. Plus, I left two days ago; got back this morning." He glanced her way, his signature smirk on his lips. "Why, you miss me?"

She snorted, trying to feign indifference. "You wish."

He gave her a knowing, smug look. "Uh huh," he said, returning to his attention to the stove again.

"Why wouldn't you tell us what you were doing?" Emi asked.

"It was nothing. It had to do with an old friend of mine. He wanted me to do a favor for him; I owed him one," Damon replied, pausing to turn the burners on the stove off and remove the apron. "You don't know him."

Emi shrugged and finished her shake, tossing the empty shake bottle into the sink. With Damon she was sometimes afraid to ask what he did in his spare time alone or the rare occasion he did leave town. She knew he was still a vampire and wouldn't hesitate to kill someone when necessary. Thankfully, it had been a while since she had had to witness him in action. She watched a minute as Damon started putting everything on serving plates. She hopped down from the counter and quickly grabbed a piece of bacon, hoping Damon wouldn't notice.

"I saw that, little missy," he said with his back to her.

She quickly stuffed the piece of bacon in her mouth. "Saw what?" she replied innocently.

Emi saw him shaking his head as he continued plating the food. She grinned evilly. She grabbed a spoon and dipped it into the whipped cream that sat on the counter for the waffles. She casually headed to the door, standing by it for easy escape. She made sure Damon wasn't looking and turned the spoon around. She held the spoon in both hands, one holding the handle while the other bent back the end with the whipped cream a tad. She let go of the end with the whipped cream, watching it hurl across the room toward Damon.

Dropping the spoon on the counter, she made a run for the stairs, knowing he would be right behind her. She made it to her room somehow, shutting the door quickly behind her. She had no idea how she had outrun him; she was fast, but not even close to as fast as Damon on his worst day. She leaned her head on it, sighing in relief. She was safe for now, or so she thought.

"Man, he is gonna kill me," she said, locking her door. Emi knew that if he wanted in, the lock wouldn't stop him, but it would help to ease her mind at least while she showered. She kicked off her running shoes and socks by her bed and began stripping off her workout clothes.

"Yes, he just might," Damon said, standing by her closet.

Emi jumped a little and ran to the door despite being in only her underwear and sports bra, but felt something holding the door shut. She noticed Damon leaning his arm over her to hold it closed, barely even touching it with his fingers. She gulped, knowing he was right behind her.

She turned around slowly to face him, grinning innocently. "It was an accident…"

He snorted. "Oh, I doubt that."

"Did it even hit you?" she asked curiously.

He held up his free hand to show her that he had caught the spoonful of whipped cream with little effort. He had probably heard it before it had even left the spoon. "You really should be nicer to me, you know," he stated.

She gulped and continued to watch him. "You don't even know what nice is," she replied.

"You want to see just how nice I can be?" He moved closer to her, crowding her against the door. His clean hand curled around her ponytail, gently pulling her face upward so that she was looking straight into his icy blue orbs.

She swallowed, watching as his whipped cream-covered hand move toward her. She closed her eyes, and then felt him run his hand down her face, avoiding her eyes. She opened them, feeling his fingers reach her lips. She instinctively ran her tongue over his fingers, licking the whipped cream off as he went.

She could already feel that her panties were wet from his touch and closeness, even though they were already wet with sweat from her run. She heard him groan slightly at the touch of her warm, wet tongue on his cold fingers, and she knew he could smell her arousal. She swallowed, trying to rewet her dry throat and licked the whipped cream off her lips.

He began to lean a little closer to her, moving so that he was nearly flush against her. He leaned over some more, still having a strong yet painless grip on her hair, and began running his tongue slowly over her face to lick off the whipped cream. "Mmm," he said, licking his lips and continuing.

She bit her lip and shuddered, moaning from feeling his tongue on her skin. Her skin felt like a fire running over it where his tongue had been. She tried to grip the door frame behind her to keep herself steady. While his tongue still licked her face, she felt his hands running down her sides to her thin black cotton panties. She knew she should have put on better underwear, but it appeared he didn't seem to mind.

"Mmm, black, my favorite." Damon smirked.

She felt him reach the bare skin of her thighs, and she instinctively spread her legs for him. She soon felt his fingertips trace over the edge of her panties to tease her. His fingers then moved over her panties to feel how wet she was, a smirk appearing on his lips in approval, and he began to run his fingers over her ever so lightly. She moaned at the friction, grinding against his fingers in need of more.

"You like that, huh?" he asked seductively in her ear. "Always so eager and wet for me, aren't you?"

She only nodded, knowing her voice was incapable of forming any words at the moment, and watched him anxiously to speculate his next move. It had been ages since he had touched her like this, or at all, really; he'd been too busy pining for Elena. His attention made Emi hope that Damon wanted her just as badly as she wanted him, for once. He was conspicuously keeping his lower body away from hers, so she couldn't tell if he was as aroused as she or not.

Feeling his fingers speed up caressing her through her panties a tiny bit, she suddenly became brave. She reached over and ran her hand down over his jeans, feeling his already stiff dick harden even more against her hand. He groaned as she squeezed the now obvious bulge in his jeans. Suddenly, she felt him grab her waist, picking her up in the process, and sped them over to the other side of the room away from the door. He backed her up against the wall, grinding against her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, gripping his hair as if her life depended on it. She tried to keep her moaning down to a minimum, knowing there were at least three other people in the house, including one with vampire hearing.

She gripped his black t-shirt tightly in her hands, feeling his hard muscles underneath, and would probably have ripped it off if she had had the strength. He quickly pulled the offending t-shirt over his head, tossing it on the floor. She felt her sports bra was now gone, feeling her breasts pressing up against his bare chest. Her now erect nipples grazed over his, sending a surge of electricity straight to her groin. Feeling Damon speed up his pace of grinding against her through his jeans and trying to keep herself from screaming, she bit down on his shoulder as hard as she could, almost adeptly as if she did it all the time.

"Oh fuck, Em," he groaned in her ear.

She felt him firmly grip her thighs in his hands, and she suddenly felt his blood pouring into her mouth. She licked the blood off his shoulder as if she hadn't eaten in a week, feeling the wound already healing. He grabbed her by the ponytail again to move her face upward, their mouths meeting in a heated kiss. He loved tasting his blood on her.

She reached down to his jeans, undoing the button and zipper, and reached her hand inside them. She grabbed his huge, throbbing dick, noting that her small hand barely fit all the way around his thick member. She stroked him slowly, squeezing his dick ever so gently, and then squeezed a little harder.

A loud rip sounded as he ripped her panties off of her, and he grabbed both her wrists, pinning them against the wall on either side of her head. He thrust into her quickly, and when he was completely sheathed inside of her, he lingered there a few minutes to let her feel the fullness of him. He knew she liked that, just as much as he liked feeling her hot, wet walls hugging every single inch of him.

She threw her head back against the wall from the amazing feeling of having him home again; that's what it felt like to her every time he was inside of her. "Oh Damon," she moaned from pure ecstasy.

He smirked at the contented look on her face and kept holding her hands against the wall. He began moving inside her, slowly at first, but picked up his speed shortly after. He knew she wouldn't admit it to him, but he could tell she had needed him. If he was honest with himself, he needed her as well. His sex life hadn't been very active as of late, and he had gotten accustomed to having whomever he wanted, whenever he wanted for the past 146 years. Changing that was proving to be harder than he had thought.

She began to match his movements and wrapped her legs around him. He finally released one of her hands to steady her against the wall better, and she wrapped it around his neck. She could tell he had begun using his vampire strength a bit, feeling her back nearly forcefully hitting the wall with each thrust. She knew she would probably have bruises later, but she didn't care; his blood that she had lapped up minutes earlier would help with that.

Trying to meet his movements as fast as she could, she knew it was going to be impossible to keep up with him now. Realizing her struggles and trying to keep from doing too much damage to her back, Damon sped them over to her bed. He laid her down and quickly pulled her to the edge, gripping her legs tightly and holding them apart for better access. He thrust back into her, immediately returning to his rapid thrusting. She gripped the sheets on the bed underneath her, arching her back, and her eyes rolled back into her head from the amazing feeling he was giving her.

Emi could tell he was getting really close now, and she was nearly there herself. She moaned almost screaming. "Damon, please…" She whimpered, looking up at him.

He knew exactly what she wanted and pulled out of her again, much to his displeasure. He climbed on the bed into a sitting position, pulling her onto his lap facing him. She slid down onto his twitching dick as fast as he had exited her and gripped his shoulders, digging her nails into his skin. He gripped her thighs, guiding her body up and down his shaft, meeting her thrust for thrust.

Once they had reached his desired speed, he moved her now freed brunette locks away from her neck, running his tongue slowly over her pulse point. She shuddered, biting her lip in anticipation. She leaned her head over to the side, exposing her neck for him. He brought one hand up to cradle the other side of her head while still skillfully continuing his thrusts inside her. He finally let the beast overtake him; allowing the blood to rush into his eyes and into the veins underneath, his fangs descending in a second. He ran his razor sharp fangs over her delicate skin lightly, teasing her. She whimpered again, and he gently sunk his teeth into the burning flesh of her neck, feeling the rush of her blood in his mouth.

Feeling the bite and the sensation of him feeding on her sent her over the edge. Emi screamed, not even caring who heard, her nails digging into his back. He found his own release a minute later, sending a string of curses into the air. She laid her head on his shoulder, catching her breath. He smirked a little confidently, running his tongue over her shoulder to clean up any spilled blood. He was never one to waste any; her blood was too wonderful for that.

"Damn," she muttered against his shoulder.

"I'd say that workout was much better than running," he said into her ear, smirking. He began running his fingers lightly over her back.

"Uh huh," she replied, moving her head to look at the bite mark he had left. She had requested shortly after they started their little trysts that he start biting her on the shoulder or other areas instead of her neck, so it was more easily hidden, and, much to his disappointment, he had agreed.

"Ready for round two, lover?"

"Oh yes, please," she begged, already feeling him hard inside her again. "You're amazing."

"Well, isn't that lovely? You two make quite a cute couple, but I do believe it is my turn," said a familiar accented voice in the room.

Emi looked up over Damon's shoulder, noticing a figure leaning on the door. She blinked to clear her vision, seeing the infamous blond hybrid leaning against it, wearing only his evil smirk. She noticed his glowing yellow eyes and double fangs already descended as he began to approach them.

"Klaus…" she said nearly stuttering, starting to fight her way out of Damon's arms. "No!"

Emi gasped, sitting straight up in her bed. She caught her breath and ran her hands over her face, recalling every detail of the dream she had just had. She ran her hands through her hair, glancing over at the clock by her bed. It was just past two a.m. She groaned, flopping back down onto her bed. She pushed the covers off her body that was now covered in sweat, doing her best to ignore the throbbing between her legs. She only hoped that she was able to fall back asleep without too much difficulty to catch a few more hours before having to get up. Friday was one of the days she didn't get up at the crack of dawn to do her workouts and allowed herself to sleep in a little.

She didn't know which part of the dream had gotten to her more; the part with her and Damon having sex after flirting, or the part where a naked Klaus had wanted his share of her, too. Emi and Damon hadn't been physical since just before the last Miss Mystic Falls pageant, where she was pretty sure he had realized he was in love with Elena when he had filled in as her sister's escort. Emi hadn't been around Klaus but only a handful of times, and he certainly hadn't been naked any of those times. It hadn't been her that he had been after, either. She was pretty sure sex wasn't what he would be interested in if he had been.

She shuddered at her last thought, pushing her mind back to the part of the dream with Damon. Emi had had no shortage of dreams of the hunky vampire, and lately they seemed to be on repeat just about every night. Part of her wanted to talk to someone about her feelings, but the only person who she thought even had a clue about her feelings for Damon was none other than Elena. Elena was easy to talk to, but Emi knew Elena still had feelings for the elder Salvatore brother.

Emi had a feeling Ric knew about her feelings as well, but he had never mentioned it to her. She really didn't know if she could talk about dream sex with Ric, much less dream sex that was with his much older, undead best friend. She was pretty sure neither knew the extent of her feelings, and she preferred to keep it that way, but it was starting to get to the point where something had to give.

Emi began to notice she was slipping slowly from slumber into reality again when she felt drool all over her face and hand. She thought she heard a faint noise, but couldn't tell what it was. She felt a slight breeze on her skin, and suddenly felt the wetness from a small puddle of drool on her pillowcase. She began to smell something familiar and cracked her eyes open. With her clock staring back at her, she saw that she had only been asleep for forty-five minutes.

She wiped the drool off her face, wiping her hand off on her sheet, realizing she had fallen asleep with the covers thrown off her. She pulled down her gray cotton tank top that had risen up over her stomach during the night. She groaned, rolling over and grabbed the covers to pull over her. She found they wouldn't budge and opened her eyes, staring straight into Damon's icy blue ones.

"Morning, sunshine," Damon whispered with a grin.

She sat up quickly with a gasp. She moved even further away from him upon the realization that he was shirtless, in pajama bottoms, and barefoot with his hands behind his head. She caught her breath, watching him.

"Well, hello to you, too."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, rubbing her face. "It's not even three in the morning yet."

"I didn't realize what time it was, and I was lonely. Saw you were sleeping and made myself comfortable." Damon began playing with the drawstring of his pajama bottoms.

"It's Friday; I'm not running today. What do you want?" she asked, willing herself not to watch his fingers.

"Oh yeah, my bad," he replied. "Feel free to go back to sleep, and don't mind me," he replied nonchalantly.

She rolled her eyes, groaning loudly. She smacked his arm and got up from her bed.

"Oh, nice pj's by the way." He smirked and winked at her.

Emi glanced down, remembering she was in only a thin cotton tank top and a black lace thong. She cursed under her breath, grabbed a pillow that had fallen from her bed off the floor, and threw it at him. She padded into the bathroom, not caring if she had actually hit him or not.

Damon chuckled, shaking his head. He caught the pillow, dropping it back on the floor. For a morning person, he thought Emi would be less grouchy when waking up. He started to hum while waiting for her to emerge from the bathroom. He didn't normally come by this time of night, but he couldn't sleep and was bored. He found himself becoming bored easily as of late when he wasn't around Emi or Elena. He tried to recall the last time his life hadn't revolved around those two.

A few minutes later, he noticed as Emi emerged from the bathroom. He noticed her layered brown hair had been brushed, and though it still looked slightly crumpled from being slept on, it was still smooth and shiny. He looked over her taut body in her tank top and thong, taking in the view. He knew she was comfortable around him, he had seen her naked many times, and so he wasn't surprised that she hadn't changed. He knew if she were Elena, she'd be covered up to her neck by now to keep his prying eyes off of her.

When Emi exited the bathroom, she found Damon in the same position as when she had gone in. Now that she was more awake, she willed herself not to stare at him, or think about the fact that he was half naked in her bed. She tried to keep the dream she had had of them off of her mind; she knew what would happen if she didn't. She climbed back on her bed, keeping a safe distance from him, and laid back down on her pillow. She noticed that the throbbing between her legs was now a dull ache, but an annoying one. She still had a few hours before she needed to be up and moving, but with Damon there she didn't know if she could get back to sleep again.

"Why aren't you bothering Lena? You usually prefer her bed in the mornings," she stated randomly, fluffing her pillow.

He watched her, ignoring her jab. "Well, for one, I know for a fact she would kill me if I woke her up this early. Two, Stefan is most likely in there with her."

"I see," she said, looking at her pillow. "You're lucky I don't kill you."

Damon slid further down onto the bed, getting more comfortable. He looked up at the ceiling, not wanting to keep Emi awake. Emi played with her pillowcase and glanced over at him. She noticed the ripple of his muscles as he repositioned himself and the stark contrast of the trail of raven hair against his ivory skin that started below his belly button and disappeared into his pajama pants. She sighed, making herself look away.

"Is something bothering you?" he asked, turning his head to the side to look at her.

She looked at him. "Nope, just an insomniac, and probably intoxicated, vampire," she replied sarcastically. "Although, technically speaking, I guess that's redundant since most vampires can only come out at night, anyway."

"What is it, Em?" Damon asked her, seeing through her sarcasm.

She rubbed her face. "Other than you, I had a…scary dream earlier."

"Oh? If it was scary, then it couldn't have been about me."

"Klaus was in it. Naked," she said pausing, wondering if she should reveal the part involving him. "He wanted to have sex with me."

He made a face. "Yeah, I would say that was pretty disturbing. I didn't know you had had the displeasure of seeing him naked."

She glared at him. "I haven't!"

"So, how do you know what he looks like?" he wondered.

"I don't know what he looks like, Damon, geez. Klaus doesn't show up in my dreams on a regular basis. I don't know where that even came from."

"Yeah, I'm much better to have in a dream, anyway." He winked at her. "Must be why you were drooling so much."

"Fine, you were in it. You were getting me back for trying to hit you with whipped cream, I think, and stealing a piece of bacon."

"Oh really now, how did I retaliate?" he asked curiously, as if he was torturing her.

She swallowed, looking away from him. "Why are you here, again?"

"Oh, so then it was _that _kind of dream. Nice. How was I?"

She rolled her eyes, ignoring him. Emi hated how he always somehow managed to read her like an open book; he was really the only person who could see past her usual poker face. She snuggled further into the pillow, starting to feel sleep slowly overtake her again. She really didn't want to start talking specifics about her sex dream with the guy who had been in it. Dwelling on it would only put her in a worse mood because she knew it wouldn't be coming true.

"That good, huh?" he replied, smirking. "I tend to leave that kind of impression on women."

"You are impossible," she mumbled, her eyelids half closed.

"I know," he said quietly, agreeing with her. "Go back to sleep." He watched her as her eyes closed once again and her breathing became even. He moved a few stray pieces of hair from her face, continuing to watch her sleep.

Emi shot up in her bed as she heard the banging on her door, and Ric calling her. She glanced at her clock, realizing that her alarm was going off, and she had overslept by twenty minutes. She looked around her room to see the sun trickling in through the openings in the curtains. She turned her annoying alarm off, remembering that Damon had been there, and that she had told him about her dream. While his scent still lingered on her sheets and pillow, he had since left her room. She then heard her phone and looked at it. She noticed it was a text from none other than Damon.

"_Hey, Em, hope I didn't keep you awake too long this morning. Sorry about that. I'm just checking to see if we're still on for training this afternoon. Text me when you get this. – D" _

"Fuck me," she said out loud, throwing herself back down on her bed in defeat.

No matter how much she tried, it was becoming obvious that there was no way around seeing Damon. He was everywhere now, even invading her dreams. Her feelings surely had a twisted way of creeping up on her, even when she repressed them, and it was hard to forget about them completely when the object of her affection was always around.

* * *

Emi stood at her locker between second and third period, pulling out her books for AP History. She was exhausted after the night she had had with very little sleep. She was wearing a hoodie, a black tee and light wash jeans with a pair of converse. She had barely had enough time to do her make-up and had just thrown her hair up into a messy ponytail. She glanced at her phone, seeing another text from Damon. She had told him she'd meet him after her shopping trip with the girls before going to the party at the falls.

"_Okay, but you better not blow me off. My time is always valuable. – D"_

She rolled her eyes at his comments and put her phone back into her purse. She wasn't looking forward to training with Damon today because that meant being up-close-and-personal with him. As much as she wanted to be close to him, the closer she was the more it tore at her heart. She could stop training if she really wanted to, but she liked learning all she could about fighting. She wasn't completely sure, but she figured Damon liked doing it because it gave him something to do, and he got to use his vamp moves. Ric still trained with her from time-to-time, and she had even helped him with Elena's training, but with no threats in town for a while everyone else had become slack in that department.

Emi felt someone tap her shoulder, and she jumped. "Shit." She turned around seeing it was only Elena, letting out a breath.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you, Em. I called for you, but I guess you didn't hear me," Elena said.

"No, I didn't hear you. I'm really tired, and you're getting good at sneaking around."

"Yeah, are you okay? You don't seem like your usual self today."

"Rough night, long story," she replied.

"Ric mentioned that he thought something was up. He said you barely ate anything before leaving, and you overslept. He also said you've been kind of distant lately. I told him I'd ask you about it. He thinks you don't like talking about personal things with him anymore."

Emi saw Stefan approaching them and sighed. "He did? It's not that I don't want to talk to him about it; it would just be weird. Can we talk later? I need to get to class," Emi said.

"Yeah, sure, sounds good. Are you still coming with us shopping after school and to the party tonight?" Elena asked.

"Yep, sure am. Oh, do you mind dropping me off by the Boarding House on our way home from shopping? I have training with Damon at six."

"Yeah, sure, I don't mind," replied Elena with a smile.

"Thanks, Lena, I'll see you later. Hey Stefan," she said, closing her locker and walking toward Ric's classroom.

"Is she okay?" Stefan asked, noticing right away Emi's consistently controlled exterior was beginning to crack.

"She said she had a rough night, and she'd explain later. I'm kind of worried about her. She's usually not this standoffish, and she's never late for anything," Elena replied with concern written on her features. "She also really sounded like she didn't want to have to train today; she loves that."

"I know, and she barely even looked at me. She's always nice to me."

"I'm sure it's not you. Maybe she's just pushing herself too hard. Emi needs to take it easy on herself. She's trying to maintain her 4.0 GPA, work part-time at The Grill to save up for college, and she also works out four days a week, sometimes five."

The two started heading for their English class that they had together, walking side by side.

"Hmm, you're probably right. She's gonna burn out before she even reaches college in the fall," Stefan said.

"Exactly, and I also think she gets lonely sometimes. I mean, all of us have significant others and she doesn't. She could get ten boyfriends if she wanted to, she just doesn't. It's not like the guys don't faun over her. I don't get it."

"Maybe she's waiting on the right person," Stefan suggested.

"I think she might be, plus I think she thinks that none of the guys here are her type. She definitely marches to her own drum at times," Elena said.

"Well, she wouldn't be Emi if she didn't."

Emi tried her best to concentrate on Ric's lecture on the reign of King Henry VIII. Emi had always loved history, and it was one of her favorite subjects, but today she just couldn't get into it. She noticed Ric looking over at her every now and then, knowing she looked like she was anywhere but there. It seemed the more she tried to pay attention, the more her mind ran away from her.

Emi looked down at her notebook at her notes, seeing she'd only written down a few things so far. Her notes were usually extensive, and she tried to make herself concentrate enough to at least take decent notes the rest of class. She didn't have a 4.0 by chance, after all. When the bell finally sounded, Emi gathered up her things, waving a goodbye to Ric on her way out. She noticed a look on his face as if he wanted to talk to her, but she didn't slow down for needing to get to her next class. Ric didn't stop her, either, knowing they wouldn't have much time at all to talk, anyway.

Emi couldn't wait for school to be over with that day. Her mind was on a hundred different frequencies no matter what she tried to focus it on. Once the final bell rang, she rushed to her locker to gather the books and notebooks she would need over the weekend to do her homework. She stuffed them in her bag, zipping it closed, and tossed it over her shoulder. She grabbed her gym bag that she had hurriedly packed this morning before shutting her locker.

She hadn't seen Elena, Caroline, or Bonnie yet, so she headed out of the mass of students gathering in the hallway to the parking lot. She leaned on Elena's car while waiting. She checked her phone again, noting it was 3:10 p.m. That only gave her less than three hours to shop for a dress for the Masquerade Ball. She was glad that Caroline was driving herself because if they all rode together they'd be there all night.

She thought about what she was going to wear tonight to the party, and for once, she was actually looking forward to letting loose and having nothing to worry her. She spotted the girls heading her way, stuffing her phone back into her purse. After agreeing on where to go, they all got in their respective cars and drove off.

The ride with Elena was awkwardly silent, and Emi knew Elena was itching to bring up what had been throwing Emi off balance lately. _That can all be summed up in two words – Damon Salvatore_, she thought to herself. Elena was fiddling with the radio, finding something worth listening to for the remainder of the ride. Emi and Elena had very few secrets between them since they found it very easy to talk to one another. Emi was surprised that she had kept the one of her being in love with a certain vampire to herself as long as she had, and she was also surprised that Elena herself hadn't already figured it out. Emi gazed out the window, watching as the trees rushed by. She could feel Elena's curious gaze on her as if she was trying to read her mind.

"So, are you ready to talk now or would you rather wait?" Elena asked, watching the road, glancing over at her sister every now and then.

Emi thought a minute before answering, chewing on her lip nervously. She knew Elena wouldn't judge or laugh at her, but Emi knew that Elena still had feelings for Damon, regardless of her choosing to be with Stefan. "Lena," she started, but paused to choose her words. "I…I think I'm in love with Damon."

Emi waited for the car to screech to a halt or swerve from Elena's shock, but it did neither. She looked over at Elena, noticing she was mulling over what Emi had revealed. They had reached the mall, and Elena pulled into a vacant parking space, remaining quiet. Emi didn't know what to think as Elena turned off the car, pulling the keys out of the ignition.

"How long have you felt this way? I've kind of thought you might have a crush on him because I know you, but I wasn't sure because you always hide your feelings so well."

"About six months or so, I think. Hell, I don't even know if it's love or not. I've never been in love before, but if this isn't love, I don't know what it is," Emi replied.

"What makes you think it is love?" Elena asked inquisitively, playing with her keys.

"I'm always thinking about him, whether I even realize it or not. I've been dreaming about him for God knows how long, and the dreams keep getting more intense. We're always together, and we're comfortable with each other. He's funny, and he makes me laugh. He gets on my nerves, and he's so infuriating sometimes, but even though I try not to like him, I can't help it. I get him, even though very few people do. Plus, he's sex on legs."

Elena laughed a little in agreement. "That is true. I can sympathize with you, sis. Damon is just Damon. Once he gets under your skin, he's very hard to shake." Elena looked over at Emi. "So, what's so wrong about having feelings for him? You're human, Em. As I found out two years ago, it's very easy to fall in love with a vampire, even when you're not trying. Now that I am a vampire, I can see it in a different perspective. I guess attraction to vampires runs in our blood."

"Lena, I know you still have feelings for him. Not to mention, you're the only girl Damon sees in this world."

Elena frowned. "That's not true. I see how he is with you. Damon doesn't get along with just anybody, and he considers you his best friend other than Ric. He doesn't even treat Ric as well as he treats you."

"Yeah, but he doesn't look at me like he looks at you. He doesn't talk about me to other people like he talks about you," Emi said.

"Maybe not yet, but you never know what the future holds. It hasn't been that long since I chose to be with Stefan. Give it some time. Does he know how you feel?"

"I doubt that. Hell no, or at least if he does he's never said anything."

Emi looked up seeing Caroline and Bonnie standing a few feet away talking to each other, waiting on the two girls before going into the mall.

Elena looked at her sister, sensing something more was going on with Damon that Emi wasn't sharing, but shrugged it off. "Well, whatever happens, just don't tell Ric. I hate to think what he would do if he realized both of us had fallen for Damon," Elena said with a wink.

The girls shared a laugh and grabbed their purses, getting out of the car. The two girls joined Caroline and Bonnie and headed into the mall. Emi began to feel a little relief after telling someone one of her biggest secrets and knew she would for a little while at least. Being around the girls always made her feel better; she was able to put aside most of the tension she was feeling when with them. She would enjoy it while it lasted because she knew once she was on her own again she had nothing to help keep her thoughts at bay. If there was one thing that could help take Emi's mind off Damon, it was shopping.


	4. Chapter 3: Dead in the Water

**Author's Note: **Thank you for all the follows, favorites, and reviews! I am very grateful for all of them.

This chapter took me longer to write because I started classes again the first of the month. I'm also working part-time, so I'm trying to juggle that along with taking four classes a week. This is my final quarter at college, and I'm so ready to be finished. This quarter is already kicking my butt, but I'm still making time to write because I really like this story. I've already started writing the next chapter, but I'm not sure when it will be finished. Please bear with me.

Again, there is some unplanned lemony goodness in this chapter. This chapter ends in a cliffhanger, so please don't hurt me, lol. I just thought it was good stopping point.

You can find Emi's party outfit linked on my profile. The soundtrack is coming along, but it's still not ready to be posted just yet.

This story is not beta'd, so any mistakes are my own.

Reviews are always appreciated! Enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Vampire Diaries or True Blood, nor any of the characters in either series. Both series belong to their respective creators. I just like using the characters in my own ideas.

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Dead in the Water**

Emi checked the time on her phone again for what seemed like the hundredth time. It was almost 5:45 p.m., and she knew Damon hated tardiness just as much as she did. Caroline insisted that they all try on dresses until they each found the perfect one for the annual Masquerade Ball. Bonnie had found hers with no problems, and with some encouragement Elena had found one that suited her new sexier style. Caroline was taking her time in choosing her dress and Emi wasn't having much luck at all.

Every dress that Emi had tried on had had something wrong with it, either in her mind or the other girls'. She had found several dresses that she liked, but none had stuck out to her quite yet. The girls all insisted that she not settle on one just to have a dress; it needed to be "the" dress.

Having found their dresses, Bonnie and Elena started helping Emi and Caroline look for theirs. Emi was about to emerge from the dressing room that she'd been in for what seemed like hours to comb through the racks once more, but as she opened the door she saw another pile of dresses being pushed into her arms by Elena. Not in the mood to fight her sister, Emi mumbled under her breath as Elena closed the door behind her.

Emi began trying on the dresses that Elena had brought her, and she could hear Caroline in a near panic from her own frustration of coming up empty-handed in the dressing room next to hers. Emi noticed a dress from the pile that actually caught her eye in the mirror as she was looking herself over. She stripped off the dress that she was wearing and put on the other one.

Looking herself over in the mirror, Emi noticed an actual smile forming on her lips. She normally didn't go for anything other than dark colors or this type of style, so it was different for her. Deciding to show Bonnie and Elena for their opinions, she opened the door and confidently stepped out. Emi had decided that even if the other girls hated it, this was her dress. The look on both of their faces only made her positive that it was the one.

* * *

Emi found herself running up the long driveway of the Boarding House as fast as she could. Emi had Elena drop her off at the street to save time, and so Elena didn't have to pull all the way into the driveway. She was already fifteen minutes late and hadn't heard from Damon since she was at school. She had texted him as soon as they left the mall, but hadn't received a reply.

She didn't even know if Damon was at home. His Camaro was in the driveway next to Stefan's motorcycle, but the brothers didn't need vehicles to get around. He could be at The Grill for all she knew. Whether he was home or not, Emi knew Damon was probably going to be pissed beyond belief because she had made him wait on her.

Now out of breath from running, Emi made her way inside the mansion, shutting the wooden door behind her. She noticed the usual fire going in the living room and was surprised to find the huge room empty. She looked inside the room from the hallway until she heard a voice call from upstairs.

"Up here," Damon called out to her.

Emi couldn't tell what kind of mood Damon was in, but she was hoping it was a good one. Emi was never late and had never been late for training with him. She made her way up the stairs, taking the familiar hallway to Damon's room. She ran her hand through her hair, and upon reaching his room, she saw his door cracked open. She thought about knocking, but this was Damon. It wasn't like he knocked when he came into her room.

Emi pushed the door open to find Damon's immaculately clean room as it always was. Damon was much more anal than her when it came to needing things to be spotless and in order. She lowered her gym bag and purse on the floor beside his bed. She looked around the familiar room and started to wonder if she was hearing things since Damon wasn't on his usual perch on his bed or in the bathroom.

Suddenly she heard a noise in the bathroom and returned to the incredible en suite to find Damon stretched out in his coveted bath tub, surrounded by tons of soap suds. She saw an opened bottle of bourbon on the sink counter and a half-filled tumbler in his hand. Typical Damon.

"I see you finally decided to show up, huh?" he asked while watching her, detecting her disheveled appearance.

Emi stared at the man in front of her a minute without even realizing it. She was nearly frozen in place at the wonderfully unexpected surprise of finding him this way, but she was thankful he was covered with bubble bath.

"Um…" Emi started. Her brain was definitely drawing a blank, and words wouldn't come to her. Instead, she settled for nodding in response. She began chewing on her bottom lip, looking everywhere but at him, and tried to find something to do with her hands, ultimately just burying them in her jeans pockets.

"Mind doing me a favor?" he asked, draining the remaining contents in his glass.

She hesitated not knowing what to say, but heard herself answer, "Um, sure."

"Hand me that bottle of bourbon on the sink, if you don't mind. I need a refill."

Emi moved over to the sink once his request had sunk in, and she finally stopped watching the suds run down his skin. "What has you on edge?" She grabbed the bottle, looking down at it, noting it was Damon's favorite.

"Elena stuff," he started and looked up at her. "And you were late."

Emi was beyond caring at this point after her how her day had gone, and while she loved her sister, hearing that Damon was still upset over Elena not choosing him made Emi want to beat her head against a wall. She was grateful when he decided not to elaborate. She took a swig from the open bottle, knowing full-well that Damon was watching her. She felt the amber liquid burning all the way down her throat and wiped her mouth, carrying the bottle over to the tub.

Reaching the tub, Emi held the bottle out to Damon and felt her shoe hit a slick place on the floor. Trying to right herself and not drop the bottle in her hand was proving to be a tough feat. Damon grabbed her arm once he realized she was about to fall, but she still found herself sprawled out across Damon's lap in the middle of the tub. Emi felt like she was a dog that had been run through a car wash and was too stunned to move. She saw that Damon had saved his bourbon over her and gave him an evil glare.

"Hey, if you wanted to join me, all you had to do was ask," Damon said with a smirk, wiggling his eyebrows.

Emi forcefully hit the water with her hand, sending some splashing into his face. She grabbed the edge of the tub, pulling herself up, and felt Damon helping her. "Oh, thanks for the help after I'm already soaking wet," she said in a derisive tone while surveying the damage. She noted that her jeans were sudsy and nearly completely soaked, the back of her shirt was sopping wet, and her underwear felt like she'd just taken them out of the washer.

"I figured it would have been less clean-up if you got a little wet rather than have to waste good bourbon, and then have to clean it up." He set the bottle down on the floor by the tub out of the way.

"How thoughtful of you," she replied, rolling her eyes. She grabbed one of his towels, drying her clothes off as much as she could.

Damon watched Emi, trying not to laugh at the sight. Her clothes were sticking to her like they were a second skin and her hair had fallen down out of her ponytail when she had fallen. Her hair was a bit wet and there were hints of the natural waves in it that she always meticulously straightened out every day. She even had a ghost of a smile on her face and was trying her hardest to hold in little snorts of laughter, but failing miserably.

Damon had always noticed something different about this Emi; her typical overly-controlled façade was nearly absent and she stopped trying so hard to keep it up. As well as he could see through her walls and read her like a book, he still knew she hid her emotions well, even from him. He liked that she had that ability, much like he did, but he always liked seeing her open, raw, and somewhat uncaring of her surroundings. It was rare to see fun, carefree Emi come out. He hadn't seen her like this in a while, and he realized that he kind of missed her.

When Emi wasn't trying to be perfect and control every little thing, he could see down to her soul. He knew he was probably one of the very few people who had ever seen her like this. Though her frankness and sarcasm were still present, Emi was more playful and witty on the rare occasion that her walls were down. She was less worried about controlling every little detail and had more fun. When she was like this, it reminded him just how human she was. He couldn't see her any other way.

Damon watched as Emi kicked off her Converse and peeled off her wet clothes, leaving them in a neat pile on the floor. His eyes ran over her familiar muscular frame and the freckles dotted randomly on her skin as she padded into his room. He wondered why more guys weren't interested in her; she was a very attractive and likeable girl once you got past the tough exterior. Comparing her to Elena, though, was like night and day. Emi was different than Elena, but Damon still saw her realness and beauty, as much as Emi sometimes tried to hide it.

Where Elena was compassionate and outgoing, Emi was cynical, hard, and came off as rude to most people with her brutal honesty and semi-introverted personality; Elena was more girly and Emi had an obvious edge to her. Elena was friends with everyone, and Emi only had a select few people that she let get close to her. Elena had tanned, olive skin, while Emi had light-to-medium skin. Elena was a few months older than Emi, but sometimes people thought Emi was older.

The girls also had their similarities, though. They fought tooth and nail to protect the people they loved; they didn't let just anything get to them; they were both stubborn as hell; and both girls could sometimes take stupid risks, despite being level-headed and smart.

Damon sat up, unplugged the drain to let the water out, and climbed out of the tub. Drying his feet on the mat, he grabbed a towel and dried himself off. He sauntered into his bedroom to find Emi naked, drying off her own body. She leaned down to grab her clothes from her bag on the floor, and he gave her quick whistle. He immediately ducked when he heard the sound of her brush flying at his head, but he didn't miss the flush of her face.

"Hey, it was a compliment," he replied. He grabbed her brush from the floor and tossed it over on the bed by her bag. He noticed her trying to ignore him and put her walls back up, but Damon had other ideas. It had been a while since the two of them had fooled around, but that didn't mean Damon didn't want to. He was still a guy and a vampire, after all. He also knew Emi could use a release from whatever was bothering lately.

Emi dug through her bag, trying her best to ignore the fact that she and Damon were both naked in the same room together. It didn't offend her and she wasn't embarrassed, either, but the last time she had seen him naked was the last time they had had sex several months ago.

Emi tried to think of things that really turned her off, but she was having a hard time thinking of anything at the moment. She pulled out her workout clothes, setting them on the bed. Damon proceeded to move her clothes over and lay across the bed in the same spot, still naked as the day he was born. Emi blinked, willing herself to look away. _Welcome to hell, Em_, she thought.

"Em, you're avoiding," he said. "Feel free to look all you want."

Emi looked over at him, feeling his eyes burning into her skin as he turned over on his side facing her. She still kept her eyes on his face, or at least above his stomach. "What about training?"

"Since I'm too relaxed from my bath to get my vamp ninja on, we could rethink today's lesson but still make it somewhat relatable." He began running his fingers leisurely over his comforter.

"Okay, enlighten me, master," Emi stated somewhat intrigued but apprehensive.

Damon stood up in a blur, grabbing Emi's hand and pulling her up in front of him before she could even blink. He backed them up a little, so that the back of her legs were against the bed. He took a handful of her soft locks, running his fingers through it. "I was thinking we could work on the art of seduction," he replied slowly, drawling out some of his words. "It's one of a vampire's greatest tricks, but also one of our greatest weaknesses if with the right person."

Emi swallowed and thought about running. She didn't know if she could do this, even though she really wanted to. She didn't want to be sated and then disappointed again when Damon put her back into the friend zone. She then felt Damon run his hand lightly down her back over the ridges of her spine. She shuddered at his touch, but still made herself look away from him. She felt him grip her chin lightly as he pulled it slowly upward, so that she had no choice but to look at him. She noticed a hint of a smirk on his lips, and his eyes were compelling without him compelling her. Still, she managed to try to resist him.

Realizing how close they actually were and what was about to happen, Emi started to tremble; from fear or excitement she really couldn't tell. She swallowed, trying to rewet her dry throat and watched as he ran his fingers over her lips, reminding her just how gentle he could be.

"Why are you trembling, Em?" he asked in a whisper. "It's just me."

Emi could no longer keep her eyes averted from his icy blue orbs, his soothing voice calming her, and she felt his knee find its way between her legs. She tried to lock her legs against the mattress as much as she could to hold herself up when she felt his knee spreading her legs, making its way up toward her center. She bit her lip hard, and when she felt his knee reach her most sensitive area, she nearly cried out in response. She reached forward, gripping his shoulders for something to hold onto.

Damon smirked at her reaction, noticing how wet she was. He began moving his knee against her, and instantly hearing her reciprocating moans. He felt her nails digging into his shoulders, as the unmistakable smell of her arousal floated up into the air.

He felt his fangs descend when he smelled another very familiar scent. He looked down at Emi, seeing drops of blood running down her chin as her teeth were tightly clenched down on her bottom lip. He opened her mouth with his fingers with very little effort, making her release the firm grip on her now bloody lip, and kissed her, tasting her blood with his tongue. He began sucking on her bottom lip to catch the still free-flowing blood.

Emi hesitantly returned his kiss, feeling her body betraying her. She really did want him, needed him even. She could feel his hardened length pressed up against her and ran her nails down his biceps. She soon felt his fingers replace his knee, and she nearly lost her balance. She felt him sit her down on his bed and looked up at him, his fingers never stopping their movements. She gripped the sheets as he nibbled on her neck with his blunt teeth, and watched as he pulled her legs up onto the bed to give him better access.

Emi tried her best not to re-bite her lip again, not that she really noticed the first time, but his touch just felt so damn good. Damon was like a drug; once you had some of him, he was impossible to quit. Emi felt his fingers enter her in one swift movement, and she shot out a curse almost as if it were a plea. She arched her back, watching him as he worked his fingers in and out of her. Emi was feeling as if she were on a cloud and having an out-of-body experience.

Damon's free hand wandered over Emi's body, leaving every inch buzzing with electricity. Emi wanted to reciprocate the amazing feeling Damon was giving her, but it was almost as if she were in a daze. She could feel her orgasm was close already. As sad as it was, she found herself craving it.

Damon removed his fingers from her slowly just before her release and sucked on them, teasing her on purpose. Emi grabbed his hand and began mimicking his actions, tasting herself. She heard Damon respond with a deep moan, sending a shudder through her body. The next thing she knew, her back was hitting the mattress and he was on top of her. He began kissing her neck once again, and she felt the familiar sting of his fangs on her skin after a few minutes.

Emi went rigid, suddenly realizing the gravity of the situation. Hitting her like a ton of bricks, she somehow managed to push Damon off. She jumped up and ran into the bathroom, not even looking back. She leaned on the sink for support, trying to slow her ragged breathing, and splashed some cold water over her face. She ran her hand over her neck, feeling a tiny nick on her skin, but felt no blood.

"Em, what is it? Did I hurt you?" She heard Damon ask from beside her, concern evident in his voice.

"It's nothing. No, I'm fine." Emi glanced at him, just now realizing that she had tears running down her face. Thankfully, the water disguised them. For once, she actually thought she saw hurt flash through Damon's eyes, but as soon as she saw it, it was gone. Damon watched Emi for a minute and quietly made his way back to his bed without a word.

Once she came back to reality, Emi grabbed her clothes and began putting them on. She put on her sneakers, looking over at Damon lying on the bed looking at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. "Are we going to train or not?" she asked.

"Yes, Emi. Let me go get dressed," he said in a somewhat cold voice, getting up leisurely to get his clothes.

She rolled her eyes and grabbed her wet clothes from the bathroom floor. "I'll meet you outside," she said, walking out of the room.

After tossing her wet clothes in the washer, she headed outside to stretch in the backyard. In the middle of her stretching, she noticed Damon come outside in his usual attire. She noted he still had the cold look, distant look on his face.

"Since we're starting later and you were late, we won't be training as long today," Damon said, watching her stretch. "Instead, you will be running laps."

"Ugh, fine, slave driver," Emi replied, standing up after stretching. She looked around, seeing that Damon was gone.

Damon sped over to her from his hiding place in a blur. In a second, he had her arms behind her back, holding her wrists in his hand. "Today, we're going to work on the element of surprise. And then you're running laps."

* * *

Emi walked up onto the porch of the house, digging her key out of her purse. She unlocked the door to the house, and turned around to wave to Damon in his car, watching as he waved back and drove off. It was almost dark and Emi had to get ready for the party.

She made her way inside the house, finding Ric and Meredith in the kitchen cooking dinner. "Hey, guys," Emi greeted the two.

"Hey, Emi," Meredith replied with a smile.

"Hey, how was training?" Ric asked, chopping some carrots. Meredith sat at the counter next to Ric with a glass of wine in hand.

"It was tiring and annoying," Emi said, opening the fridge to grab a bottle of water. She drank some of the water and replaced the cap on the bottle. "I was late and Damon was PMSing, so he thought it would be fitting to torment me by playing vamp hide-and-seek and sneaking up on me a hundred times. After that, he made me run ten laps full-speed around the entire house while he played drill sergeant."

Ric tried not to laugh, shaking his head. "That's Damon. You do know he was doing that on purpose, right? He finally got a chance to rag on you for something, for once."

"Yeah, I'm sure he was," Emi said, thinking about what nearly happened with Damon. "He better be glad I was off my game today or he would have been one dead vamp."

"Yeah about that, are you doing okay?" Ric looked at her with the concern returning to his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I didn't sleep well last night," Emi replied. It wasn't a complete lie. "I'll see you guys later. I've got to hop in the shower."

Emi headed upstairs before Ric could ask her anything more. She knew at some point she would have to talk to him, but now wasn't the time. Emi headed to her room and dropped her bags on the floor. She went to her closet, choosing a long sleeved top, black jeans, and combat boots, and laid it all out neatly. She stripped her gym clothes off and hopped in the shower.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Damon opened the door to his Camaro, climbing out and taking in all the teenagers that were playing drinking games and getting high. He thought back to when he first came back to town, remembering a party just like this one when he had nearly killed Vicki for the first time. He shook his head, realizing he had come a long way since his Katherine-obsessed, dimmed-switch, terrorizing Stefan days.

Now, he was just the semi-responsible, snarky, cynical, yet infuriatingly predictable older brother who had nothing better to do on a Friday night than check up on the kids. Normally, Damon wouldn't set foot within a hundred miles of these parties; he could sit in his own luxurious living room or bed by himself and get drunk. Why would he want to do it with a bunch of idiotic, obnoxious teen humans out in the woods? He had only come to a few of these parties before when the Originals were running rampant and human Elena needed all the protection she could get. Tonight was like a rerun of his prior protection details, only this time it wasn't for Elena.

Damon walked through the wooded area by the falls looking for anyone he knew. He eventually spotted Blondie with her hybrid boyfriend, each with a drink in hand and lost in each other. Damon rolled his eyes at the sight and kept moving. He then spotted Witchy with Junior Gilbert and Boy Wonder by a tree talking about mindless human things.

He saw Stefan and Elena heading toward the three others hand-in-hand. Elena had a drink in her hand, and even though she no longer needed the warmth, she wore Stefan's leather jacket. Of course it looked better on her. Damon tuned his hearing into their conversation for a few moments, hearing them joke about one thing and then another. He didn't hear them mention Emi, but he knew she had come with them. He noticed Stefan venture off from the group to get Elena another drink and followed him, grabbing someone's unopened beer and downing it on his way.

"Damon, what brings you here?" Stefan said, not turning around.

"Actually, I'm only here because Ric asked me to drop by on my way home from The Grill. He said it wouldn't look as smothering if it were me instead of him."

"Is everything okay?" Stefan asked, turning his head toward his brother.

"Yeah, I'm sure it is. He just wanted me to make sure Emi wasn't lying in a ditch somewhere or floating down the falls; concerned quasi father and all."

"Why would he want you checking up on her then?" He looked back toward Elena and the others, hoping she wasn't listening in on them.

"Well, those weren't Ric's exact words, but I'm sure that's what he meant. Have you seen her?"

"Not recently, but I've been keeping an ear on her every now and then," Stefan said. "I know she hasn't been herself lately, especially today. She thinks she has it together, but I'm not so sure."

"I've noticed something, but she keeps brushing it off as nothing; typical teenager and Gilbert."

"You need help finding her?" Stefan asked.

"Nah, I've got this. I don't want to get everyone else involved just yet. She's probably off somewhere drinking. She has bad role models in that category, and a tendency to prefer being alone," Damon replied.

Stefan nodded, wandering back toward Elena and the others, grabbing two drinks on his way.

Damon set off in search of Emi, zoning in his hearing even further to track her down. He had to really concentrate with all the chattering, noisy teens around, but he heard something that he thought might be Emi away from everyone. He could sense her nearby and knew he'd probably find her by herself. Emi wasn't one to get drunk with a crowd.

**Emi's POV**

Emi stood by the falls with a drink in her hand, walking and balancing on the stone wall at the edge. She had had plenty to drink, losing count several drinks ago, but that still wasn't enough to get rid of the nagging feelings plaguing her. Her plan of drinking away all thoughts of Damon hadn't yet been successful, but it had succeeded in driving her not to care so much.

She felt the wind blow her hair and barely noticed it biting through her layered clothes. It was a usual late March night with low temperatures that only seemed worse with the frigid air coming off the falls. Emi drained the remaining contents in her cup and tossed it behind her. She stood overlooking the falls as she started to notice her vision blurring slightly, stuffing her hands into her jacket pockets.

"If memory serves, and it does, I seem to recall meeting a girl out here at a party like this one not too long ago," Damon said seemingly out of nowhere.

Emi heard his voice, but wasn't startled by it. It seemed to calm her frantic, chaotic thoughts. She didn't turn around, thinking she was imagining it.

"Hey, Emi, what are you doing?" Damon asked.

Emi turned her head slightly to look back at him to find him standing there a few feet away from her. "Nothing," she replied, turning back toward the falls.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Come on, Emi, let's not be a stupid drunk and get off the wall."

"Why are you even here?" she asked, noticing her words beginning to slur a bit as she turned back to look at him.

"I thought I'd come have some fun with my favorite girl. Can't a 170-year-old guy let loose every now and then?"

She snorted. "You're always loose. Stefan's the uptight one."

He couldn't agree more with her there and watched closely as she began walking slowly down the length of the wall.

"You also lie," she said, looking down at her feet.

"Really, Em, me? When do I lie?"

"Lena's your favorite," Emi said pausing a minute. "I should've let you fuck my brains out when I had the chance."

"That could be arranged…as soon as you've sobered up."

"You're never sober. Why do I have to be?"

"Because you're a teen still in school who's trying to maintain a high GPA, and because you're a better person than I am; that's why."

"That girl's so boring; why do you even hang out with her?"

"She can't be that boring or I'd get bored of her," Damon replied.

"She's more boring than Stefan."

Emi kept walking slowly along the wall, her balance starting to become shaky. She kicked randomly at a rock that she thought she saw that turned out to be a leaf. She held her balance at first, but upon moving once again the wall started to shift under her weight. She saw the falls rising up closer to her as if they were hands reaching out to grab her and let out a scream. She was then blurred away to the other side of them in a second, with two strong, familiar arms wrapped around her.

She felt her feet slowly touch the ground, and she looked straight into the eyes of Damon, still clutching onto his arms to hold her up. Her body was shaking, and she knew it wasn't from the cold. She felt a tear drop run down her cold cheek.

"Hey, Em, it's okay. You're okay. Let's get you home before you decide to really go for a swim," Damon said, wiping the tear from her face.

**Damon's POV**

Damon sat in his usual spot in the living room a few hours later with a tumbler of bourbon in his hand. Ric had called a few times before Damon finally answered and assured Ric that everything was just peachy. He also sent Stefan a text letting him know that Emi had come home with him. Damon had carried a sleeping Emi upstairs to his bedroom, so she could sleep it off, and that's where she had been the entire time. He listened in on her every now and then, just to be safe.

The ride home had been quiet, and Emi had looked vacantly outside of the passenger window for most of it. He was afraid she was going to puke in his car, but she always had been good at holding her liquor. Damon knew she would be feeling it in the morning. He had sat on his bed beside her for a few minutes after removing her shoes and pulling the covers over her, just watching her sleep. Once he felt she would be fine, he had wandered downstairs to get himself a much-needed drink.

He downed his remaining bourbon and set the glass down on the table beside his chair. He figured Stefan and Elena had gone to her house and would have left the party long before now at nearly five in the morning. It wasn't unusual for him to stay awake all night long, but he did sleep on occasion. He knew it would be nearly impossible to sleep tonight after Emi's near death experience earlier.

He couldn't stop replaying the incident in his head, thinking of what would have happened had he not been there. If anything had happened to Emi, Ric would have murdered him a hundred different ways, and then finally put him out of his misery with a stake in the heart when Ric thought he'd died enough times. In Damon's mind, that still wouldn't have been enough to make up for losing Emi. He really needed to find out what was bothering her.

Damon made his way up to his room having had enough to drink for the night. He knew it would only be a few hours before he started again. Walking into his dark room, he still saw Emi's sleeping figure buried underneath his covers. He noticed an open window and went to close it before Emi froze from the cold air blowing in. He made his way to his closet and stripped off his t-shirt and jeans, putting them into the laundry basket. He grabbed a pair of pajama bottoms and slipped them on. He may not go to sleep, but he was going to be comfortable while in bed.

Damon sat on the bed, barely even making it move. He sat against the headboard, unconsciously playing with his ring, and getting a weird vibe. He glanced down beside him, inspecting further, and no longer heard breathing or a heartbeat. He frantically yanked the covers off the bed to find a bunch of pillows underneath only to confirm his suspicions. Emi was gone.

"Oh fuck."


End file.
